About Amy Webb

Amy Webb, PhD is a scholar turned stay-at-home mom with two young sons. With her blog, The Thoughtful Parent, she brings academic child development and parenting research into the lives of parents in the trenches of child-rearing. She does not claim to be a parenting expert, but rather a translator of academic research into reader-friendly articles.

Articles by Amy

Last updated on November 6th, 2016 at 06:02 pmParents out there you know how it goes: you play the same game over and over again with your toddler or you help them put together a puzzle. This is the daily “stuff” of parenting and you may feel it doesn’t make a difference. Well, turns out, it does make a difference! A recent study from the University of Montreal and the University...

Last updated on September 21st, 2016 at 11:57 amMany articles you see in the media discuss the positive influence of “sensitive parenting” on children’s development. Sensitive parenting is seen as the gold standard on how to effectively interact with your child to promote their optimum maturation process.
So with all these positive benefits of sensitive parenting, you may wonder what “sensitive...

Last updated on August 5th, 2016 at 01:35 pmIf you are like most parents today, a common refrain you find yourself saying is something like this, “two more minutes and iPad time is over.” We parents give these kinds of warnings frequently—for time on the playground, for time to get ready for school, etc. We think they are helpful because they give the child some warning that a transition is about...

Last updated on June 22nd, 2016 at 11:03 amThere was a great article I read recently written by a pediatrician who described each child as “a different assignment.” No truer words have been spoken by someone who deals with children every day. Within the range of normal children’s development, there is a huge variation in kids’ temperaments, personalities, and sensitivities. Do you ever wonder...